Mohamed Salah breaks into TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has achieved a new high as he becomes the latest footballer to cover TIME Magazine. The Egyptian superstar is featured in the magazine's annual list of the world's most influential people.

Salah joins female footballer Alex Morgan ahead of a huge World Cup year for the USWNT, basketball superstar LeBron James and recent Masters winner Tiger Woods on the prestigious list. Salah's global popularity surged last year when he enjoyed a breakthrough season with Liverpool, scoring 44 goals in the 2017-18 campaign and helping the English Premier League side reach the Champions League final.

I think we need to change the way we treat women in our culture

In an interview with TIME, the Liverpool forward spoke frankly for the first time about the importance of women’s equality. “I think we need to change the way we treat women in our culture,” Salah said. “It’s not optional.”

He said seeing how women were treated “in my culture and in the Middle East” had changed the way he thought about gender relations. “I support the woman more than I did before, because I feel like she deserves more than what they give her now, at the moment.”